how do other part time working moms find time and sanity to clean house?

Question

i work from 730 to 1200 i lve not working so much but the kids are making the house dirty so quickly and fuss and fight and complain all day? how do you do it, thanks for knowlagable answers!

Answer 1

The family needs to function as a team to have a comfortable home. Children can take on small tasks so it doesn't all fall on you. Try some of these sites to get started:
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/chorechart1/a/ageapprchores.htm
http://www.alenkasprintables.com/chorechart.shtml
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_22_98/ai_66888704

Answer 2

Part time? Try full time with three kids. You have to be the parent! Deligate. Don't negotiate. Make up a calendar with weekly chores. If their young make it fun. Use rewards. A night out at the end of the week if all chores are complete. Fill a jar with tasks to do around the house. Let them pick from the jar. I have twins that are 13years old and a daughter that is 7. I start their week by letting them pick their own chores (within reason), they write them down on their scribble/scrub calendars. I give them $5.00 each on Monday. ($1.00 a day Mon-Fri just like an adult work week) If they don't do a chore, then Mom takes a dollar. If at the end of the week they have no money, and Mom has a messy house.... We cant go out together on the weekend to the movies, skate park, restaurant, etc... because now all the kids have to clean the house until all the chores are complete. I tell you... this builds responsibility, team work, and self satisfaction. When I see my 7 year old making my window so "streaky" clean, (I'm not fussy, as long as I see an honest effort) and at the same time telling my other 13 year old son that he's doing a good job. Something's working. I don't know what else to tell you? Get creative. Stay strong. If all else fails, and their mess is left in your living room, kitchen, basement?... You can always throw your children's mess in "THEIR DOMAIN" (Their bedrooms) When their friends come over, they'll see (and smell) and make comment. Eve

Answer 3

If your kids are old enough to read and understand, they should be able to go by a list of things to do around the house. That's why you give them chores to do. Each week you should make a schedule for them to go by. It may not be a perfect clean-up, but at least they did their best. Kids fuss and fight because they are bored. And they need something to do. Don't give them the same stuff to do all the time, they get bored so easily. Just make a list like: loading the dishwasher, dusting the furniture, folding clothes or towels, pick up toys or pick up after they use things, clean their rooms, take out trash, etc....things they can do. Don't bring your kids up to become lazy! (smile)

I wouldn't let them play video games, watch TV, or even go to a friend's house until everything around the house is done. All these things for them to do, like I have mentioned, should always have a limit time set. If nothing gets done before you come home from work, then it is time to have a talk with them and set some rules, otherwise, start taking things away they love doing the most. But don't give in to them, you will teach them how to be responsible for their things and responsible in getting the job done. Then at the end of the week or two weeks, give them a reward or an allowance. They need guidance. It really works!

Answer 4

It's tough. I work fulltime and I have a 2 year old but I also have my boyfriend to help me out. He's great, he'll clean and picks up after himself. We also share the childcare 50/50, so one morning he'll get up with our son and the next I get up with him.

But, I don't particularly agree with making children do loads of chores. I grew up in a house where you couldn't even leave water in the sink, I mean it couldn't be wet anywhere, you had to take a towel and make sure it was dry. And the shower had to be cleaned after every use and no towels left in the bathroom, even if hanging up. And thinking about drinking something anywhere but the kitchen? Think again. So when I got my own place I went the opposite way and was totally messy.

Now I have reached a happy median. I'm not a clean freak (well, only about bathrooms, nothing I hate more than a dirty bathroom, yuck!) and I'm not a slob.

To make a long answer short, don't sweat the small stuff. The person who suggested doing a little bit every day is right on the money. It makes it so much easier to clean on the weekends.

Answer 5

You need to enroll your family to be of assistance to you. This is a management crisis and if you don't handle this you become the victim of your own design.

The best thing you can do is teach yourself, your kids, and hubby (if you have one) how to clean as you go. When something is used it gets put back in its place in a clean condition. When a mess is made it is cleaned-up in present time not in some distant future.

So often I hear parents complain yet they won't corral the other people in the house to do their part. Teach the girls and the boys to alternate job duties. Let the girls that are old enough take the trash out while the boys clean the kitchen. Also teach everyone to be proactive in doing things around the house.

My mother did not touch my laundry after I was nine. I was taught the proper usage of soap and the operation of a washer and dryer. Clothes where to be folded when they came out of the dryer. If I saw something out of place it became my responsibly because I also lived in the house.

My mother was loving but tough. She made it clear everyone was to pull their weight if they wanted to sitting at the dinner table. There were no gender specific rolls as far as cleaning was concerned in my mother's home.

Remember you either pay now or later. Go through the chaos now of getting control over your home.

Answer 6

I'm in a very similar situation, but I work full time, and I'm a single parent. My kids are old enough to clean up the house, but they are just so used to me doing everything, that they really don't think about doing it on their own. I've let the garbage run over, not run the dishwasher until there were no clean dishes, and it still didn't matter. When they have cleaned up for me, I always make sure I praise them and tell them how nice it was....but that only happens once in awhile. So, I will be very interested in the answers you get...maybe they will help me too.

Answer 7

Well, I work from home, so that makes it easier for me to get things done at home. I can vacuum or throw in a load of laundry in between working on things for my clients (I have a medical transcription business that I run out of my home). Plus, I only have 1 child, an 11 year old, left at home, so he is in school from 8:00 a.m. until I pick him up at 2:30 p.m. Once his homework is completed, he has a few chores to do. He is also responsible for making sure that his room is neat and orderly and that his bed is made everyday before going to school. We started him out doing this at an early age, so it is mostly habit for him now, and he rarely complains or has to be reminded of his responsibilities. He occasionally vacuums for me as well. My husband works outside the home, but he also pitches in and helps me around the house, although I try not to ask him to do a lot, because he comes home tired from work. I guess my answer to your questions is: I get alot of help with housecleaning - as far as the sanity thing, I'm not completely sure I still have my sanity!

Answer 8

Even todlers can be responsible for cleaning up after themselves. Make them pick up their own toys and things. If they mess something dirty, make them clean it, at least as far as they are able to. But to answer your question, I worked full time when my two were babies (they are 20 months apart in age). I just did not sweat the small stuff. If the house is not neat as a pin, the important thing is the time you spend with your kids, not how clean your house is.

Answer 9

It's all about organizing, and letting your kids know you won't accept a dirty house. Even if they're toddlers they need to have a part in keeping the house clean, not a large part mind you, but they need to know that they are expected to help out from and early age. The whole organizing thing is back breaking at first put it's so worth it. Take care :)

Answer 10

Put yourself on a schedule....Plan out everything from time to do laundry to play time with the kids. Schedule their day as well. Structure for kids is great and after a couple of weeks you won't believe how much you can get done with so little effort. Involved your kids as much as you can...they can help put away cans of soup & veggies after grocery shopping and pick up their toys and fold clothes (or sort dirty ones). Think outside of the box and make a chart to follow. Leave unstructured time as well for spur of the moment stuff....Have fun with it and you'll be amazed.

Answer 11

Everyone/Anyone who makes a mess has to learn to clean up their own mess. It won't always be done to your satisfaction, but it will be done.....my kids, (6 & 8 straighten their rooms and any messes they leave in other rooms.) I get after hubby, or find a 'dump zone' and dump his crap in a bucket, etc.... I find, that if you keep up DAILY on the mess, that the actual cleaning isn't so bad. NOW, I work part-time, do my own laundry, grocery shopping, cooking and straightening, but when it comes to cleaning, I have a maid service do the dusting, bathrooms, floors twice a month. If I need to do a spot clean, out come the clorox wipes and mini-vaccume. Good Luck.